The Administration of Quality and Technology Supervision of the Guangzhou Municipality made public 688 food safety standards on April 16th, including national and local ones, to ensure food safety for the coming 16th Asian Games. Meanwhile, 15 more standards are being formulated for consideration. As a result of a new standard to be set in May, traditional herbal tea may become a non-alcohol drink for the Games.

Besides herbal tea, other local foods or fruits, including Cantonese salted meat, rice noodles and red mandarins (a kind of orange) will be covered in the standards and a database for food safety will be established as soon as possible.

According to officials of the Administration of Quality and Technology Supervision of the Guangzhou Municipality, some of the local foods, due to the standards currently in force or to be set, will be available for international occasions. Therefore, athletes and officials abroad for the 16th Asian Games can enjoy not only typical Chinese foods or fruits but local delicacies.

The 15 standards that are being enacted now not only cover foods but also herbal drinks, teas made of rose or fruits, meat and aquatic products for raw consumption and, as well, edible oils.

Foods or fruits covered in the 688 standards fall into two categories for special or general purposes. Currently, work concerning enterprises that provide food for the 16th Asian Games is under development. The food safety standards, according,to He Guo'an, an official of the Administration of Quality and Technology Supervision of the Guangzhou Municipality, are to be considered permanent and will remain valid after the Games. As for the seven sets of standards specially made for the Games, said Liang Xiaoming, Vice Dean of the Guangzhou Institute of Standardization, these are planned to be abolished but may be applied for other purposes if they work well.

Editor: Yan